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I have wondered is there actually anything wrong with mass tourism? Wouldn't properly build for tourism destinations actually be overall better option? As long

by Ekaros 3y ago

I have wondered is there actually anything wrong with mass tourism? Wouldn't properly build for tourism destinations actually be overall better option? As long as they do not become over relied on. At least if we must have tourism and do not ban it altogether... Mass tourism would allow optimization for environment and not to destroy areas that people actually work and live in. See the AirBnB effect for example. And in general the drug use and noise caused by them...

steve1977 3y ago
Mobility is bad for the environment to start with. Mobility for hedonistic reasons therefore can only be worse.
timeon 3y ago
I think topic here is more about personal preference than something like environmental concerns.
lm28469 3y ago
The thing is if you have to take the plane to get there you're already a major net negative for the environment, and that would get rid of most mass tourism places We should live like our grandparents, a few (if any) big trips in your lifetime, everything else: in your country or close neighboring ones.
- philwelch 3y ago
  If you really want to reduce your carbon emissions you can start smoking, that will cut years off your life expectancy and, as a consequence, your lifetime carbon emissions.
  - denton-scratch 3y ago
    As a heavy smoker, I rather like that excuse.
rgmerk 3y ago
Ever visited a proper tourist trap? They’re awful places no sane adult would ever spend time in. They exist for people who don’t want to actually experience anything unfamiliar when they travel.
- robocat 3y ago
  That is a very condescending take. Lots of people choose to go to tourist traps for their own reasons. You don't have to like what they like. Like many, I even go back to some "terribly" touristy places because it is what I wish to do. I also do off-the-beaten-path travel as well. But I usually can't blend in as though I were a local. I also have the freedoms and restrictions usual to tourists. Examples: I enjoy touristy Queenstown in my own country. I like Bali. Not a fan of Bangkok. On-topic: Backpacker accommodation and number of hotels signal tourist areas. To avoid tourists, don't stay in convenient accommodation!
  - rgmerk 3y ago
    Yeah, I’m a snob. I get that… But, by God, have you seen them? Fisherman’s Wharf. Niagara Falls. Pretty much anywhere near a Hard Rock Cafe. Overpriced, awful food. T-shirts that say “I visited <location> and all I got was this lousy T-shirt”. A Ripley’s Believe It Or Not. On the streets, evangelicals from Ohio who, when they discover you’re Australian, will ask you about some random preacher you’ve never heard of. Parents with miserable kids looking wistfully in the direction of whatever tourist attraction they’ve spent thousands to get to and are not experiencing because the the kids want to go to Ripley’s Believe it Or Not and eat chicken nuggets off the kids menu at the Hard Rock Cafe. Never, ever again.
    - al_borland 3y ago
      First, I will agree that Ripley’s is awful. I’m not sure how they stay in business. I went once to see what was there, and because I remember watching the show with Dean Cain as a kid. Never again. That being said, all the kitch aside, popular places are popular for a reason. When I started to travel more, I started out as a travel snob, not even going to those areas of town. Then I got over myself, as I figured I was missing out on seeing some of the things that put the cities on the map in the first place. Going to some of the more touristy spots doesn’t mean you can’t still venture off the beaten path, or have good stories/memories. I go to see the thing that made it a good spot for the tourist trap, not to buy novelty t-shirts and foam fingers. It’s not the whole trip, it’s an hour of one day. I also don’t know how touristy it will be until I get there. I was told to check out the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo, but was warned about it being a tourist trap. Clearly I screwed up getting there, was I ended up wandering around the docks where guys were working, and ending up getting lunch at this tiny place with about 8 stools, where I had the best seafood I’ll probably eat in my life. I went in expecting a tourist trap and found the exact opposite.
denton-scratch 3y ago
You seem to be suggesting that by creating purpose-built mass-tourism destinations, tourists wouldn't continue to congregate in real places, where people live, shop and work. I live in the centre of an attractive, old university town. We have druggies and dossers; typically, they don't have local accents (druggies and dossers seem to have their own accent, so perhaps that doesn't mean they're non-local). But the streets around here are increasingly impassable, because of people taking photos (of anything) and blocking pedestrians, and columns of foreign language students 100-strong. These people don't come here because it's "properly built" for tourists; they come here because it's old and pretty. To be fair, most of the tourists are daytrippers; they don't stay here overnight, and they don't spend much. Maybe they're only here because it's on the tour company list, and maybe it's because they want a selfie in front of $MONUMENT for their instagram feed. IMO they'd get more out of their visit if they'd actually look at $MONUMENT in real life.

by Ekaros 3y ago

steve1977 3y ago

Mobility is bad for the environment to start with. Mobility for hedonistic reasons therefore can only be worse.

timeon 3y ago

I think topic here is more about personal preference than something like environmental concerns.

lm28469 3y ago

The thing is if you have to take the plane to get there you're already a major net negative for the environment, and that would get rid of most mass tourism places We should live like our grandparents, a few (if any) big trips in your lifetime, everything else: in your country or close neighboring ones.

philwelch 3y ago
If you really want to reduce your carbon emissions you can start smoking, that will cut years off your life expectancy and, as a consequence, your lifetime carbon emissions.
- denton-scratch 3y ago
  As a heavy smoker, I rather like that excuse.

rgmerk 3y ago

Ever visited a proper tourist trap? They’re awful places no sane adult would ever spend time in. They exist for people who don’t want to actually experience anything unfamiliar when they travel.

robocat 3y ago
That is a very condescending take. Lots of people choose to go to tourist traps for their own reasons. You don't have to like what they like. Like many, I even go back to some "terribly" touristy places because it is what I wish to do. I also do off-the-beaten-path travel as well. But I usually can't blend in as though I were a local. I also have the freedoms and restrictions usual to tourists. Examples: I enjoy touristy Queenstown in my own country. I like Bali. Not a fan of Bangkok. On-topic: Backpacker accommodation and number of hotels signal tourist areas. To avoid tourists, don't stay in convenient accommodation!
- rgmerk 3y ago
  Yeah, I’m a snob. I get that… But, by God, have you seen them? Fisherman’s Wharf. Niagara Falls. Pretty much anywhere near a Hard Rock Cafe. Overpriced, awful food. T-shirts that say “I visited <location> and all I got was this lousy T-shirt”. A Ripley’s Believe It Or Not. On the streets, evangelicals from Ohio who, when they discover you’re Australian, will ask you about some random preacher you’ve never heard of. Parents with miserable kids looking wistfully in the direction of whatever tourist attraction they’ve spent thousands to get to and are not experiencing because the the kids want to go to Ripley’s Believe it Or Not and eat chicken nuggets off the kids menu at the Hard Rock Cafe. Never, ever again.
  - al_borland 3y ago
    First, I will agree that Ripley’s is awful. I’m not sure how they stay in business. I went once to see what was there, and because I remember watching the show with Dean Cain as a kid. Never again. That being said, all the kitch aside, popular places are popular for a reason. When I started to travel more, I started out as a travel snob, not even going to those areas of town. Then I got over myself, as I figured I was missing out on seeing some of the things that put the cities on the map in the first place. Going to some of the more touristy spots doesn’t mean you can’t still venture off the beaten path, or have good stories/memories. I go to see the thing that made it a good spot for the tourist trap, not to buy novelty t-shirts and foam fingers. It’s not the whole trip, it’s an hour of one day. I also don’t know how touristy it will be until I get there. I was told to check out the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo, but was warned about it being a tourist trap. Clearly I screwed up getting there, was I ended up wandering around the docks where guys were working, and ending up getting lunch at this tiny place with about 8 stools, where I had the best seafood I’ll probably eat in my life. I went in expecting a tourist trap and found the exact opposite.

denton-scratch 3y ago

You seem to be suggesting that by creating purpose-built mass-tourism destinations, tourists wouldn't continue to congregate in real places, where people live, shop and work. I live in the centre of an attractive, old university town. We have druggies and dossers; typically, they don't have local accents (druggies and dossers seem to have their own accent, so perhaps that doesn't mean they're non-local). But the streets around here are increasingly impassable, because of people taking photos (of anything) and blocking pedestrians, and columns of foreign language students 100-strong. These people don't come here because it's "properly built" for tourists; they come here because it's old and pretty. To be fair, most of the tourists are daytrippers; they don't stay here overnight, and they don't spend much. Maybe they're only here because it's on the tour company list, and maybe it's because they want a selfie in front of $MONUMENT for their instagram feed. IMO they'd get more out of their visit if they'd actually look at $MONUMENT in real life.